Candidates seek to improve Ohio's business climate

Wednesday

Republican Kevin Bacon, Democrat Mark Pfeifer and Libertarian William Yarbrough are running on the Nov. 2 ballot for an open seat in the 3rd Senate District.

Republican Kevin Bacon, Democrat Mark Pfeifer and Libertarian William Yarbrough are running on the Nov. 2 ballot for an open seat in the 3rd Senate District.

David Goodman (R-New Albany) currently holds the seat but cannot seek re-election because of term limits.

The 3rd Senate District covers the eastern portion of Franklin County, including the communities of New Albany, Bexley, Westerville, Reynoldsburg, Gahanna and Worthington. It also serves parts of Canal Winchester and Pickerington.

Bacon, 38, of Minerva Park, currently is serving his second term as representative for the 21st Ohio House District. He received his bachelor's degree from Miami University and his law degree from Capital University Law School. He said he is running for state senate to reduce spending and make Ohio competitive in the national market.

"Now more than ever, our citizens and businesses need relief from big government," Bacon said. "I will work to cut spending, reduce taxes and make Ohio more competitive. We have a wealth of underutilized talent and technology right here in central Ohio. We can be competitive if we create an environment that helps businesses instead of harming them."

Bacon, who is married with three daughters, said his main priorities, if elected, would be to cut spending and bolster high-tech industries in central Ohio.

Mark Pfeifer, 42, said he is running for state senate because he is tired of partisan politics and wants to help solve the state's economic issues. He lives in Reynoldsburg with his wife and three children and is the owner of Pfeifer Funeral Home.

He earned his bachelor's degree from Ohio State University and his master's in business administration from Cleveland State University.

"I am seeking the legislative office because I'm tired of all the partisan politics, all of the talk about jobs/economy and needless government inefficiencies (and) spending," Pfeifer said. "I have come up with real solution to stimulate job growth, which in turn will increase consumer spending. I have also devised several ways to free up the budget shortfall for the next budget cycle."

If elected, he said, one of his main priorities would be to create jobs through a stimulus bill that would promote hiring new employees by providing payroll tax credits and offer incentives to keep jobs in Ohio.

William Yarbrough, 40, of New Albany, is an organizational development consultant. He said he is running for the senate to provide better leadership for central Ohio residents.

"Jobs and the overall economy have suffered mightily under the two major parties," Yarbrough said. "While the Republicans blame Strickland and the Democrats blame the economy, the truth is very different. Ohio is ranked the 47th-best business climate by the tax foundation and 45th in economic competitiveness by the American Legislative Exchange Council. At last count, there were only 50 states. You can't blame this on the bad economy because this is a comparison against our peers with the same problems as Ohio."

Yarbrough is married with two children and received his bachelor's degree from Otterbein College and his master's from Ohio State's Fisher College of Business.

If elected, Yarbrough said, his first priority would be to create jobs by simplifying the Ohio commercial activity tax and personal income structures.

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